The city administrator has been authorized to draft a sample ordinance that would allow Niles residents to keep as many as four hens in residential areas.

The debate on whether Niles residents should be allowed to have chickens has been around for years, but gained steam the last couple months when a few residents requested the city revisit the matter.

The progress took another step forward this week when the city’s ordinance committee authorized Administrator Ric Huff to have a sample ordinance prepared for review by the committee at a later date (the committee meets on an as-needed basis).

If approved by the committee, the ordinance would then go to the Niles City Council for consideration.

While divided on the issue, the four-member committee agreed that an ordinance should be drafted and voted upon.

Dan VandenHeede was most vocal in his support of the ordinance, while Bill Weimer was the most vocal against it. Gretchen Bertschy and David Mann seemed open to the idea, although Bertschy said she would want the ordinance to be restrictive because the city lacks personnel to enforce the ordinance.

Community Development Director Sanya Phillips said she and Fire Chief Larry Lamb would be the only people responsible for enforcement and that they don’t have the time to do it.

VandenHeede argued that not much enforcement would be needed because not many people would keep chickens, citing the much larger city of South Bend only having 60 people taking advantage of South Bend’s chicken ordinance.

Although the details of the sample ordinance are not yet available, the committee agreed on a few key aspects:

• The chicken area must be at least 15 feet from neighboring property lines and 25 feet from an adjoining residence.

• Residents can keep up to four hens and no roosters.

• Renters must obtain approval from their landlord.

• The ordinance should include standards for the care of chickens and chicken pens.

Weimer suggested requiring neighbor approval.

There was also discussion about not requiring a permit for keeping chickens and only performing inspections when complaints are received to cut down on time spent on enforcement.